Why Do Messages Fail?
Sometimes, SMS messages you send to patients may fail when you send. These could be messages sent from the iPlato toolbar, batch messages from Connect or Automatic Appointment Reminders. This article outlines the common reasons why.
Understanding Message Statuses
Every message has a delivery status: Sent, Delivered or Failed/Expired. These statuses are reported back to us by the mobile network.
Common Reasons for Message Failure
Invalid Phone Number: If a message fails immediately, it's often due to an incorrect or outdated number. The patient’s phone may have been deactivated or the wrong number is recorded.
Phone Switched Off: If the phone is off for several days, the network will eventually stop trying to deliver the message—typically after about 72 hours.
No Signal: Similar to being switched off, if the phone has no reception for a few days, the message will likely fail after 72 hours.
Full Phone or SIM Memory: On some devices, messages can't be delivered if the phone or SIM card storage is full.
Network Issues: Problems on the patient's mobile network can also cause delivery failures.
Important Note
Once you send a message, it's handed off to the mobile network just like a standard text message from your phone. While we monitor delivery rates closely, we can’t control or guarantee successful delivery.
What is the difference between the SMS delivery statuses?
When viewing a message, you'll see one of the following statuses: Scheduled, Pending, Delivered, Expired or Failed. Here's what each one means:
Scheduled
The message has been scheduled for a future date. Occasionally, messages may queue if our server is processing a high volume, but this typically resolves within 10–15 minutes.
Pending
The message has left our system and the network provider, but hasn't yet reached the recipient's phone. This usually means the phone is either turned off or has no signal.
If a message remains in this status for 72 hours, it will be marked as Expired and won’t be delivered.
Delivered
The message has successfully reached the recipient's phone. While we can't confirm whether the message has been read, we know it has been delivered and is accessible.
Failed
Delivery was unsuccessful, and the recipient did not receive the message. This could be due to an invalid or deactivated number, or because the phone had no signal or was turned off for more than 72 hours.
If you have any questions or you feel that this article could be improved, please feel free to give us some feedback by emailing help@iplato.com.